History: Airbus A400M Atlas

The Airbus A400M Atlas is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. The aircraft was designed by Airbus Military (merged in January 2014 to Airbus Defence and Space) to replace the aging Transall C-160 and the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. It is a tactical airlifter with strategic airlift capabilities positioned in terms of size between the C-130 Hercules and the C-17 Globemaster III. The A400M Atlas will be able to carry heavier loads then the C-130 Hercules and can land on rough landing strips. It has aerial refueling and medical evacuation capabilites when fitted with the necessary equipment.

Development

Background

Production

Design

Technology

Operational Service

Competitors

Variants

A400M Grizzly - these were the initial 5 airplanes (prototypes and development), a sixth aircraft was cancelled
A400M-180 Atlas - this is the current variant in production

Deliveries

Accidents

Specifications

General specifications

• Crew: 3 or 4 (2 pilots, 3rd optional, 1 loadmaster)
• Capacity: 37,000 kg (81,600 lb)
  • 116 fully equipped troops / paratroops,
  • up to 66 stretchers accompanied by 25 medical personnel
  • cargo compartment: width 4.00-metre (13.12 ft) x height 3.85-metre (12.6 ft) x length 17.71-metre (58.1 ft) (without ramp 5.40-metre (17.7 ft))
• Length: 45.1 m (148 ft 0 in)
• Wingspan: 42.4 m (139 ft 1 in)
• Height: 14.7 m (48 ft 3 in)
• Wing area: 225.1 m2 (2,423 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 76,500 kg (168,654 lb) ; operating weight
• Gross weight: 120,000 kg (264,555 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 141,000 kg (310,852 lb)
• Fuel capacity: 50,500 kg (111,300 lb) internal fuel
• Max landing weight: 123,000 kg (271,200 lb)
• Powerplant: 4 × Europrop TP400-D6 turboprop, 8,200 kW (11,000 hp) each
• Propellers: 8-bladed Ratier-Figeac FH385 and FH386 variable pitch tractor propellers with feathering and reversing capability (FH385 anticlockwise on engines 2 and 4, FH386 clockwise on engines 1 and 3), 5.3 m (17 ft 5 in) diameter

Performance

• Cruising speed: 781 km/h (485 mph; 422 kn) at 9,450 m (31,000 ft)
• Initial cruise altitude: 9,000 m (29,000 ft) at MTOW
• Range: 3,300 km (2,051 mi; 1,782 nmi) at max payload (long range cruise speed; reserves as per MIL-C-5011A)
  • Range at 30-tonne payload: 4,500 km (2,450 nmi)
  • Range at 20-tonne payload: 6,400 km (3,450 nmi)
• Ferry range: 8,700 km (5,406 mi; 4,698 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 12,200 m (40,026 ft)
• Tactical takeoff distance: 980 m (3,215 ft), aircraft weight 100 tonnes (98 long tons; 110 short tons), soft field, ISA, sea level
• Tactical landing distance: 770 m (2,530 ft) (as above)
• Turning radius (ground): 28.6 m

Further reading

Military cargo aircraft

Similar aircraft

• Lockheed C-130 Hercules
• Antonov An-70
• Embraer KC-390
• Tupolev Tu-330
• UAC HAL Il-214
• Shaanxi Y-9
• Kawasaki C-2